VAR to be used by Premier League next season

The Premier League is set to introduce the use of Video Assistant Referees (VAR) next season, with the clubs agreeing in principle to the move.

At a shareholders’ meeting today, clubs were presented with key findings of the use of VAR based on non-live trials and use in the FA Cup and League Cup.

A statement on the Premier League ‘s official website read: “Premier League clubs have agreed in principle to introduce Video Assistant Referees (VAR) to the competition in the 2019/20 season.

“At a shareholders’ meeting today, clubs were provided with an update on the non-live VAR trials being undertaken by the League and Professional Game Match Officials (PGMOL) this season.

“Key learnings from VAR’s use in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and other leagues across the world, were discussed in detail.

“The Premier League’s non-live testing programme will remain in place for the rest of this season, with a continued emphasis on those Saturday afternoons which have several matches being played concurrently, and developing a clear protocol for communicating VAR decisions to fans.”

VAR was used to great effect in this summer’s World Cup is now live in the top divisions of Germany, Italy and France.

The Premier League will now make a request to the International Football Association Board and Fifa with regards to introducing VAR.

Another topic up for discussion in today’s meeting was the changes to the summer transfer window, with clubs reportedly voting to keep window closing before the start of the season.